Four of Ohio State's best players announced this week that they will not, in fact, suit up for the Rose Bowl this weekend. This was not the biggest surprise, especially in the cases of sure-fire first rounders Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, but still concerning if you're at all invested in Ohio State defeating Utah to cap its season.
Opt-outs aren't a new thing, and it's not even the first time Ohio State has dealt with marquee players taking a pass on the annual postseason exhibition game. But with the combination of a rapidly growing transfer portal and the newness of NIL, one can't help but feeling a bit like Max Kellerman at the end of the cinematic classic Dirty Dancing, sensing the end is coming for the resorts of the Borscht Belt:
"It's not the changes so much this time," Kellerman said to Tito the bandleader.